- amphetamine
- Closely related in its structure and action to ephedrine and other sympathomimetic amines. A psychostimulant substance that can be abused.- a. (4-chlorophenoxy)acetate same actions and uses as a. sulfate.- a. sulfate exerts less vasopressor, cardiac, and bronchial effect than ephedrine, but has a greater central nervous stimulating effect, decreasing the sensation of fatigue; used in the treatment of narcolepsy and certain types of paralysis agitans, and to reduce appetite (temporarily (1–2 weeks) in obesity.
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am·phet·amine am-'fet-ə-.mēn, -mən n a racemic sympathomimetic amine C9H13N or one of its derivatives (as dextroamphetamine or methamphetamine) frequently abused as a stimulant of the central nervous system but used clinically esp. in the form of its sulfate C9H13N·H2SO4 to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy and formerly as a short-term appetite suppressant see BENZEDRINE* * *
am·phet·a·mine (am-fetґə-mēn″) 1. racemic amphetamine, (±)-α-methylphenethylamine, a sympathomimetic amine that has a stimulating effect on both the central and peripheral nervous systems. It relaxes bronchial muscle, increases heart rate and blood pressure, contracts the sphincter of the urinary bladder, and depresses the appetite. Abuse of this drug and its salts may lead to strong psychic dependence, to marked tolerance, and to mild physical dependence associated with tachycardia, increased blood pressure, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, personality changes, and, in the severe form of chronic intoxication, psychosis similar to schizophrenia. Abrupt withdrawal can cause severe fatigue, mental depression, and abnormalities in the electroencephalogram. 2. any of a group of closely related compounds having similar actions, including amphetamine and its salts, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
